With interest rates continuing to be at all-time lows, now is a great time to buy a home or refinance your existing mortgage. When it comes to home buying or refinancing, closing costs can cost you (no pun intended). Many do not realize that some of the items listed as closing costs can be negotiated. [...]
I originally published this article 4 years ago during the last Olympics. I thought it would be fun to revisit the list as we’re enjoying the 2012 Olympics! I updated a few of the news links, but as I was rereading it, ironically, most of the financial lessons still apply! What do the Olympics and [...]
Banks Versus Credit Unions
Posted byAre banks or credit unions better? This is a subject I am very adamant about. There are so many facets of the debate between these two financial institutions, and I have no qualms defending what you will obviously see is my preference! What’s the main difference? How do you define a bank and a credit [...]
I know many people are wary of CDs because they don’t want to tie up their money for long periods of time. It’s hard to want to commit to a long term CD especially when rates are so low. The general feeling is “rates have to go up eventually and then I’ll be stuck with [...]
Meet the new writers! Next up is Adrienne. Adrienne has been interested in personal finance since she was old enough to calculate interest, at age 5. You can read more about Adrienne in her bio. Welcome Adrienne! I’ve seen many doomsday comments about how to handle a spouse who spends too much. People act as [...]
Our Refinancing Experience Thus Far
Posted byI have a confession to make: we have been procrastinating on refinancing our mortgage. There are good excuses; we only purchased our home two years ago and I can clearly remember the plethora of intimidating closing documents as well as all of the financial documents we had to gather in order to make everything happen. [...]
Readers Share More Free Finance Apps
Posted byWe haven’t talked about our favorite financial apps since about this time last year. Because there’s a new crop of tablet and smartphone users each year after the holidays (like my Uncle, who couldn’t wait to get his new Kindle Fire) it’s time to add to our lists of financial apps to check out and [...]
End of the Paper Savings Bond Era
Posted byGovernment savings bonds have a special place in my heart. My grandpa often tells stories about using payroll deduction to buy bonds when he was a civil service employee in the 60s and 70s. As he tells it, you could buy 1/3 of a bond for $6.25, and receive a bond for $18.75 every third [...]
Wouldn’t it be nice if managing your money came with an instruction manual? Not one of those manuals that is written in four languages and have schematics that only an engineer can understand but an easy to follow, step by step guide that tells you what to do every step of the way. That book [...]
12 Finance Tips to Kick Off 2012
Posted byTime to get your finances in order for the new year! You know which ones I’m talking about… the finances that were neglected during the holiday season. If your new years resolutions are financially based this year this list will come in handy as a springboard to get started. And even if you didn’t dedicate [...]
